Review:: The Tropic of Serpents, by Marie Brennan

Title: The Tropic of Serpents

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #2

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:
A Natural History of Dragons

I needed a palate-cleanser after The Forever War, and the delight Marie Brennan gave me last time seemed like just the antidote I needed. I was right.

Review:: A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

Title: A Natural History of Dragons

Author: Marie Brennan

Series: The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #1

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When a friend wanted a signed copy of The Tropic of Serpents, the sequel to this book, I gladly headed into the City for a reading. After the puppet show and artifacts, I definitely had my interest peaked in this novel; it promised to be something different. And something different it was, something delightfully different.

Review:: Glamour in Glass, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Glamour in Glass

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Series: Glamourist Histories, #2

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

Shades of Milk and Honey

Wow. I was really unhappy with how Shades of Milk and Honey turned out, but it seems Glamour in Glass is more my taste. Mary Robinette Kowal seems to come into her own with this novel; rather than seeing a Jane Austen homage, I feel like I can really see her own writing shine through. Glamour in Glass deals with all sorts of issues, while being an easy and quick read. Some spoilers towards the end of the review.

Review:: Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Wyrd Sisters

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #6

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

Equal Rites

Mort

Sourcery

At first I was going to give this one three stars, but then I realized that I'd been laughing aloud throughout the entire book. Even if I have some quibbles, those have to be overridden by legitimate lols.

Review:: The Farthest Shore, by Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: The Farthest Shore

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Series: The Earthsea Cycle, #3

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

A Wizard of Earthsea

The Tombs of Atuan

I can't exactly put a finger on why I didn't enjoy The Farthest Shore as much as I enjoyed the first two Earthsea books, but I think it has nothing to do with the plot, and rather the introduction of a new character.

Review:: Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Sourcery

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #5

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

Equal Rites

Mort

Sourcery returns us to Rincewind, which really isn't a bad thing. The book is funny, gathering a few out-loud chuckles here and there. This one also had more of a plot than the previous Rincewind novels, which is definitely a plus in my book. However, it still didn't quite stand out or on its own. It was an enjoyable read for sure-I liked it-but it didn't feel phenomenal.

Review:: Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Series: Glamourist Histories, #1

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I think I'm less angry at this book than disappointed. I went in expecting Jane Austen + magic and ended up really getting neither. While it is a Regency novel, and Kowal works towards Austen's style, much of the charm and all of the wit is missing. And the magic serves no real purpose in the world or the novel. It doesn't feel shoved in, but it does leave me a bit perplexed.

Review:: Mort, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Mort

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #4

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

Equal Rites

Once again, I was failed to be "wowed," but the book itself was enjoyable. I actually enjoyed the other three more than this one, which was surprising, as I'd heard Mort is one of the better early books. Maybe I just need to start going in without any expectations.

Review:: The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: The Tombs of Atuan

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Series: Earthsea Cycle, #2

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★★☆

Previously:

A Wizard of Earthsea

While in many ways The Tombs of Atuan deals with some of the issues I have with A Wizard of Earthsea, I've never liked it quite as much. I think the themes it deals with just don't speak to me as clearly. However, it's a wonderful book, deserving of many a read-through.

Review:: Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett

Title: Equal Rites

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #3

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

The Light Fantastic

I wasn't fully impressed by this book. There were parts of it I rather enjoyed, but I didn't feel like I could relate to the protagonist, Esk, and it felt like plenty of others were just obliviously sticking their heads in holes. It's a quick read, and that's great, but if something is going to seriously try and have an agenda of sorts, maybe it shouldn't be so quick.

Nostalgia Review:: A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin

Title: A Wizard of Earthsea

Author: Ursula K. LeGuin

Series: Earthsea Cycle, #1

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★★★★

Still good?

OMG YES.

It's honestly hard to believe this was a book published in the 60s. I was afraid to re-read it because I didn't believe it could possibly live up to my recollections. But it did. This book is simply beautiful.

Nostalgia Review:: Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card

Title: Enchantment

Author: Orson Scott Card

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Still good?

No. Just... no. no. no. no.

Considering reading this? Go read Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente instead. Just trust me on it. Or don't.

Review:: In the Hand of the Goddess, by Tamora Pierce

Title: In the Hand of the Goddess

Author: Tamora Pierce

Series: Song of the Lioness, #2

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Previously:

Alanna: The First Adventure

I was promised this one might be better. I'm so glad I wasn't really expecting it to. Pretty much all the flaws of the first book remain, just with Alanna getting older. We learn she's super special. Nothing is truly difficult. Oh, and she comes out as a woman. Guess how that went over! (Didn't I just say "Nothing is truly difficult?")

Nostalgia Review:: Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

Title: Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke

Series: Inkworld, #1

Format: Kindle

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Still good?

Yup!

I only vaguely remember the circumstances around which I read Inkheart as a young adult. More clearly, I remembered the premise. I honestly think the book might have suffered a bit for it; it takes some time for things to build up, and when you know what's going to happen, it just feels slow. But Inkheart is still a cute book, even if it's not the best I've ever read. What really won me over was that this was a young adult book where the adults aren't useless.

Review:: The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett

Title: The Light Fantastic

Author: Terry Pratchett

Series: Discworld, #2

Format: Trade Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Previously:

The Colour of Magic

I definitely felt like I got more of the same from The Light Fantastic, although it certainly reminded me more of Douglas Adams this time around. There wasn't really a lot of substantial plot, but it didn't matter. The point was the journey (which has to come to an end) and the humor itself.

Review:: Black Unicorn, by Tanith Lee

Title: Black Unicorn

Author: Tanith Lee

Series: Unicorn, #1

Format: Trade Paperback

Rating: ★★★☆☆

When I reviewed The Black Unicorn, by Terry Brooks, I said there was a good Black Unicorn already. This is it. This is also a book that I like to point to when someone's looking for a strong female character who doesn't have to be overly masculine in order to show she's strong (cough Alanna). Also, peeve. Yes.

I may sometimes follow around my puppy and peeve-narrate him.

Review:: Fables: Storybook Love, by Bill Willingham

Title: Fables: Storybook Love

Author: Bill Willingham

Series: Fables, #3

Format: Paperback

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I mean, it was enjoyable, but the romance subplot felt really, really forced and squicky. The comic relief felt poorly timed and I felt like Bill Willingham didn't address most of the issues he laid out. It's like they were laid out just to be edgy.

Gonna stop me from going forward?

Nope.

Review:: The Tangle Box, by Terry Brooks

Title: The Tangle Box

Author: Terry Brooks

Series: Magic Kingdom of Landover, #4

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Previously:

Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!

The Black Unicorn

Wizard at Large

At this point, we're moving from nostalgia reviews to just reviews. Or maybe I read this book and was bored so badly I just decided to quit. (Probably not, considering I was such a big Terry Brooks fan as a kid.) Anyway, this book was even more of a snoozefest, which is saying something for a solid two-star series. Spoilers after the cut.

Nostalgia Review:: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J.K. Rowling

Series: Harry Potter, #7

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Still good?

No.

Previously:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

This book made me angry. Really angry. I didn't even realize how angry at first. It's not really an issue with the end itself (although I do have issues with that); it's an issue with the writing. I complained in a previous review about how the Pensieve is one of the worst writing cop-outs ever. So here's a cool story: when it takes 100 pages of exposition to make the ending make sense, you're doing it wrong.

Nostalgia Review:: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author: J.K. Rowling

Series: Harry Potter, #6

Format: Hardcover

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Still good?
Yeah...

Previously:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I'm of two minds about Half-Blood Prince. There were some parts in it that were rather well done, and other parts that made me roll my eyes. It's just so frustrating to read a book and go, "Ugh, it was so close to being good!"